10

Context

On languages having an Academy (I know it's not the English case thanks to this SE site) it's usual that those academies edit and maintain a kind of official dictionary for that language.

Examples:

I speak galician and spanish natively, and use that dictionaries to access a kind of official definition for some words when writing documents, I trust that resources because are widely accepted by both language communities. I do it often:

  • to ensure quality choosing words, especially within assertions. (Ex: this words are sinonyms but what should I use here?)
  • for grammar doubts (Ex: is that word masculine or femenine? Is that word a plural or singular).

Usually I find myself using the definitions feature of google translate (see an example) to know a kind of formal definition for a word, but I don't know where that definitions come from. That definitions seem enough valid to me for reading purposes (knowing the meaning of a word) but for writing with a proper terminology I would like to access something more official, if there is any.

so...

Is there a kind of "official" dictionary for the English language?

If there isn't, are there good alternatives? With good I mean:

  • Free, at least to access and use.
  • Trustable - being widely supported by the English language community
  • Online accesibility is a nice plus

Author Notes:

  1. The intents of the questions above are nothing but finding a good dictionary to daily use for the writing purposes I explained within the context.
  2. Sorry if my English hurts your eyes ;)
Community
  • 1
laconbass
  • 211
  • 1
    I'd say the top ones are the Oxford English Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster, but I'm not knowledgeable enough on the topic to say for certain which if any are used "officially" by academic institutions. I know there are a few teachers who post here a lot, so they'll probably be able to offer good advice. – John Clifford Feb 07 '16 at 16:22
  • 2
    Official? No. Authoritative? OED. Good and online? No, but some suck less than others, M-W, TFD, dictionary.com. Wiktionary is not in the sucking less category. – Mitch Feb 07 '16 at 16:22
  • 2
    Don't forget Urban Dictionary @Mitch, I mean how much more official can you get? – John Clifford Feb 07 '16 at 16:23
  • @JohnClifford UD is nice for very informal hints about words but is very non-authoritative (but it has no pretensions there). – Mitch Feb 07 '16 at 16:28
  • 1
    @Mitch You...you know I was joking there, right? XD – John Clifford Feb 07 '16 at 16:28
  • So you can see why I need such a resource: wondering if with a kind of "official" I were really trying to say authoritative/reliable. (-_-)U – laconbass Feb 07 '16 at 16:29
  • 1
    @laconbass If that's the case I'd second Mitch's OED. Also I can't not read your username as a spoonerism of baconlass and I truly hope you meant it that way. – John Clifford Feb 07 '16 at 16:37
  • Thanks. The funny thing is that lacon is also a part of the pork (as a galician word) XD Sorry but bacon lass has nothing to do with the meaning of my username. – laconbass Feb 07 '16 at 16:44
  • Note for possible future visitors: For authoritative means see also this question – laconbass Feb 07 '16 at 16:48
  • I keep an old M-W and a compact OED for everyday use, and head to the library for heavy lifting. As a teacher, I think one should balance scholarship with accessibility: a dictionary that's too ponderous to grab isn't much good. As for authority, I think English dictionaries work like EL&U: judge them by their users. Because of their variety, I think dictionaries work best in pairs or bunches. That's why I give shelf space to both a good American and a great British dictionary. – Rob_Ster Feb 07 '16 at 17:05
  • 1
    The Oxford English Dictionary is far more than a dictionary. It is a dictionary of the history of the English language. Every entry is accompanied by multiple examples of how the word has been used, over the centuries,since it was first coined, with detailed etymologies. It covers English across the world. In that sense it is as much an authority on American, or Australian English as it is on what is spoken in England. It is available on-line on a subscription basis, but most Council-Tax payers in the UK have free access on their home computers, through their municipal libraries. – WS2 Feb 07 '16 at 19:45
  • 1
    @JohnClifford I was saying that for the OP. Sarcasm is difficult in a foreign language. – Mitch Feb 07 '16 at 21:21
  • @Mitch True that, just making sure I had been obvious enough lest you think I was an idiot. XD – John Clifford Feb 07 '16 at 21:22
  • @WS2 The OED may be the best but it is not perfect. It doesn't have absolutely everything in all varieties, and it does not cover all nuances or collocations of a word (but it is great). – Mitch Feb 07 '16 at 21:24
  • @Mitch Far from perfect - but always worth a first look. – WS2 Feb 08 '16 at 00:34
  • What I do most of the time is simply type "define whateverthewordis" in Google and select from the sources offered. The default definition Google offers is good enough in many cases, otherwise I pick Merriam-Webster for an American reference or Oxford Online Dictionary for a British one, and cross-check with the others. – Hot Licks Feb 09 '16 at 01:23
  • Before the publication of Johnson's Dictionary in 1755 no dictionary of English attempted to be comprehensive. Johnson had no official authority but he also had no competition, so his scheme of spelling and some other things became standard, and his dictionary became a de-facto authority. I suspect the primary reason why American spelling differs from that of other English-speaking countries is that Noah Webster's American dictionary, published in the 1820s, became a de-facto authority in the U.S. (But I also think the British have altered their spellings over the past century more than... – Michael Hardy Jan 04 '20 at 05:21
  • ...more than Americans have.) – Michael Hardy Jan 04 '20 at 05:22
  • 1
    Oxford English Dictionary. (for British English). I'm hanging on to my physical copy, with its fine onionskin pages, as 'internet dictionaries' concoct ever-decreasingly accurate 'definitions' of words - based on 'common usage' (sigh), which will be the undoing of our ability to communicate, and our intelligence, if we let it... – Jelila Sep 10 '22 at 19:31

4 Answers4

4

English does not have an official dictionary. However, I think the three most respected ones in the United States are Merriam-Webester, Oxford's, and Collins. You have to buy an Oxford dictionary, so that's not going to work very well for you. The Merriam-Webster's website is found at http://www.merriam-webster.com, and the Collins one can be found at http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/american-cobuild-learners. My personal favorite is http://www.dictionary.reference.com. While not as official, it is trusted by my English teacher.

And if I have learned anything in my Spanish class as school, do not trust google translate. Otherwise this is liable to happen.

Xandar The Zenon
  • 341
  • You'll need to specify which Oxford dictionary; they publish many, for different purposes, for different audiences, and I do not think any of the Oxford dictionaries of American English are necessarily more authoritative than the American Heritage Dictionary, for example. – choster Feb 09 '16 at 02:30
  • @chosted I don't profess to be an expert on dictionaries, but regardless which of of dictionary, they are all normally considered to be accurate. And I was merely going off of dictionaries I have heard of before. I didn't know there was such a thing as the American Heritage Dictionary. – Xandar The Zenon Feb 09 '16 at 02:31
  • 1
    @choster But the OED is the only one which will provide you with the history of words from their earliest use, and also an authoritative etymology. – WS2 Sep 15 '17 at 08:00
  • Why do you say that you have to buy an Oxford dictionary? There is OOD – MikeJRamsey56 Aug 20 '18 at 23:12
3

There is no official dictionary or even consistent worldwide rules of spelling and grammar. The only real rule in English is to write so that you can be understood. The best way to do that is to use a dictionary that was created as geographically close to your audience as possible. Even if it is a free online dictionary.

Simon White
  • 1,015
2

No-one has mentioned the excellent Chambers dictionaries. It has traditionally beenoften up to date than the OED, because it was quicker to respond to new or altered meanings or incorporate new words. It is considered by some (e.g., Scrabble in the UK and the Observer newspaper) as more authoritative. Unlike the OED, it does not accept the use of 'times' as a verb to mean 'multiply' or the misuse of 'literally' as a meaningless intensifier. In such cases, the OED is seen as contributing to the mutation of English by recognising common errors.

Bill D
  • 31
  • 2
  • Hello Bill D! Welcome to EL&U. Could you please provide links. These will be helpful to other users. If you haven't yet, please take the tour and read through the help centre. – bookmanu Aug 20 '18 at 14:49
  • 2
    Welcome to EL&U. If, however, by "more authoritative and accurate" you mean "conforms to Bill D's personal preferences and peeves," I'm afraid this isn't a good answer for the Stack Exchange model; in any case, you do not address the OP's search for an "official" dictionary. It may well be that Chambers' publications are superior to Oxford's, but if Oxford has better standing among writers or the general public, it is the more accurate answer. Besides, official Scrabbledom appears to base its word lists on works by Collins and Merriam-Webster. I encourage you to [edit] your post to add detail. – choster Aug 20 '18 at 14:51
  • Commenting on comments. Oh woe, that somebody here cares about the English language and is giving helpful information! 'welcome to EL&U', indeed... Also, the idea that the knowledge of an individual is spurious, unless it links to 'something someone already said' - anyone, it doesn't matter who, because 'the internet is the new intellectual authority', is tragic.... The idea that 'common usage' should win, over 'original definition' is tragic. And that is, precisely, what the op is asking 'why no official dictionary?' This answer highlights an aspect of the problem - mutation of English. – Jelila Sep 10 '22 at 19:48
1

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/study

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/

OED links above are free, online, and quite respected and considered as good authority in general.

Oxford produces many dictionaries, differing in how many words are defined and whom the primary target audience is. Here's a couple of online free OED access URLs to get you started. Look for the small, light blue icon shaped like the flared bell of a horn's mouth with arcs depicting sound waves.

When that audio icon is part of a word's listing, just click on it to hear the word pronounced. (Note - I don't know if the audio icon appears only on a computer-accessed page, or if it is or isn't also provided if access is permitted using a smartphone or tablet. I mention that because sometimes the mobile versions of apps don't have quite the same properties as computer-format ones.) Audio is seldom provided using the US dictionary option.

Use the default that simply says Dictionary. That one is for British and world English usage which is often different than Americanized English. Or in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the British English and the North American English pronunciations are often provided on the same screen.

For those looking for a fairly authoritative, respected dictionary, those Oxford dictionaries linked above may be helpful.

Geneva C
  • 11
  • These are good sources; however, you fail to mention that they are not *official* sources, as the OP asked. – Davo Sep 15 '17 at 11:14